Entertainment & Arts - Performing Arts

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STREET PERFORMING IN LONDON'S COVENT GARDEN, AS WE KNOW IT, IS UNDER THREAT, STILL!!!

Recently the private land that makes up most of what is considered to be Covent Garden Market was bought by Capital and Counties, a division of Liberty International PLC.

One of their first acts has been to inform the Street Performers and Classical Musicians who work in the Market that they intend to cut the performance times in the North Hall and South Courtyard areas by A MASSIVE 50%


We do not perform to passing trade, we gather an audience, produce a show and collect at the end, WE HAVE ESTIMATED THAT THESE TWO MEASURES TOGETHER WILL COST THE PERFORMERS WHO USE THESE SPACES OVER 50% OF THEIR TOTAL AVERAGE INCOME, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO EARN A LIVING AND SO KILLING THIS ART FORM.

VICTORY!!!!

Thanks to a media campaign, and the support of groups like this Management have backed down over proposals to cut the time in the North Hall.

BUT THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER!!

They still plan to cut the times in the classical musicians South Courtyard area.

If you feel strongly about this and also want to protect this unique art form in the future you can do a number of things:

1) Join this group and get a worldwide petition going. WE WANT TO GO VIRAL SO PLEASE ENCOURAGE YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN AS WELL.

2) Join our sister group 'SAVE COVENT GARDEN BUSKERS’

3) Take a few moments to sign our online petition for the still beleaguered South Courtyard performing area at http://www.PetitionOnline.com/cov2008/petition.html

4) Voice your disagreement of this by joining our mass email campaign. Just cut and paste the below sentences and send them to beverley-churchill@capcount.com.


I am writing to express my opposition to the reducing of the street theatre performance times by 50% in The South Courtyardl area in Covent Garden.

I urge you to reconsider this direct attack on the livelihood of the famous Covent Garden Classical Musicians.

Yours,